Information on working terriers, dogs, natural history, hunting, and the environment, with occasional political commentary as I see fit. This web log is associated with the Terrierman.com web site.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Small Vet Kit for Pack

This is my small vet box that contains everything I need to fix most small problems in the field. The box itself is a dual-sided fishing box about the size of a Deben receiver.

The top bin contains superglue (cyanoacrylate), which is the same as VetBond, but with a "methyl" base rather than an "ethyl" base. Plain old superglue was used by all the surgeons in Vietnam, and VetBond was only created to create a brandable product that 3M could price-gouge the public with.A superglue or vetbond repair of a gashholds about as well as a 4.0 stitch, is very easy to apply, results in less scarring and is less likely to get infected as well. Superglue will also stop bleeding of rips, including most pad cuts.

Five tubes of superglue cost just $1 at the local Dollar Store, as compared to $15 for a single small vial of VetBond.

The green "fougera" packet is nothing more than a little triple-antibiotic ointment -- the kind used all over, for humans as well as pets.

The white tube with the red strip on the bottom is a Mycitracin eye ointment. This is used to ward off eye infection if a cornea has been ripped, and is a good thing to use, along with cephalexen (taken orally, see below).

There is not a lot that can be done for a corneal rip other than to to let the dog rest (crating the dog is a must) and taking steps to fight off infection (oral antibiotics are a must).

The pills in the bottom compartment are Fish-Flex cephalexen -- available without a prescription from any decent on-line pet place like Revival Animal Health. A 250 mg capsule is perfect for a terrier -- give twice a day for a week in the case of a puncture wound, or a serious rip from a fox or raccoon. Ceph is also a very good idea if you have a through-the-lip rip from a groundhog.

The glue, batteries and razor blade are for actual field use -- the pills are in the box simply because they are a good place to keep them handy.

This is the other side of the same box.

The larger tray contains a couple of brand-new single height batteries for my debenlocator collars.

In the top left side tray I have six clavamox (125 mg). I will break these out only if Cephelaxen (Fish-flex) is not working. So far, I have not needed them.

In the bottom right side tray I have a brand new razor blade to use if a piece of skin needs to be cut away. Below that, I have a Percocet-5. Percocet is a good anesthetic for a dog and will calm it down as well. The dosage is 0.05 mg per pound of weight, so this 5 mg tablet is enough for 10 dogs that weigh ten pounds. To use, crush it up to powder, mix it well with distilled water, and squirt the correctly-measured dose down the dog's throat. Go slow -- you can always give more, but it's very hard to take a dose back once it is inside the dog!!

My main veterinary kit (always with me in the car) also contains a very large hypodermic syringe to irrigate wounds, two bottles of proviodine to sterilize wounds, a canine nail cutter, a muzzle, a surgical staple gun (a new addition which I have never used), forceps, foaming wound cleaner, graunlex, an extra eye wash bottle, extra batteries, a sharpener for the machete, and an extra set of leather gloves..